Key to Success

Monday, February 27, 2006

Secret of Success - Planing

Secret of Success today deals with the importance of planing. why and how 'planing' becomes the secret of success.To plan and execute a plan has become very essential ingredient in every part of life. Individuals, sports teams, educational institutes or even governments need to plan, and carry forward with their well thought plan.The Primary difference between planing and non-planing is that, planing helps you to foresee problems and there fore a solution for it. This forecasting would make you prepared for your bad days. I can just explain this concept of planing with a simple tourism trip. Lets assume you plan for a trip, then you would know when you would be starting, how you would be travelling, when you would be reaching, where you would be staying and what are the places you would be visiting. Probably you would have put an extra day to plan about this whole day. But the result associated with it is, happiness and savings in terms of money. Over all the trip would be a cheerful memorable one. Let's assume you hadn't planned and you just start of the trip just like that, you would always have to travel with thoughts in mind whether you would get a nice place to stay, whether you would get it at normal prices or would you have to pay a premium, would you be able to visit all the places of interest, creating a lot of stir between family members. Over all the trip would have lot of tensionous moments. There would be lot of complaints.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Secret of Success- Being content in life

Today's secret of success is all about leading a life where one should feel content about things that one has got in life. This mail that i have received just reinforces the that secret of success.

It teaches a very vital tip for leading a happy and successful life.

Very moving story.... I wish life was as simple for all of us.... Image courtesy: padayatra.org

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A few years back, I was travelling in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu . It was getting dark, and due to a depression over the Bay of Bengal, it was raining heavily. The roads were overflowing with water and my driver stopped the car near a village . " There is no way we can proceed further in this rain," said the driver. "Why don't you look for shelter somewhere nearby rather than sit in the car?" .

Stranded in an unknown place among unknown people, I was a bitworried. Nevertheless, I retrieved my umbrella and marched out intothe pelting rain . I started walking towards the tiny village, whosename I cannot recall now. There was no electricity and it was a trialwalking in the darkness and the rain . In the distance I could justmake out the shape of a small temple . I decided it would be an idealplace to take shelter, so I made my way to it . Halfway there, therain started coming down even more fiercely and the strong wind blew my umbrella away, leaving me completely drenched . I reached the temple soaking wet . As soon as I entered , I heard an elderlyperson's voice calling out to me . Though I cannot speak Tamil, Icould make out the concern in the voice . In the course of my travels,I have come to realize that voices from the heat can be understoodirrespective of the language they speak .

I peered into the darkness of the temple and saw an old man of abouteighty . Standing next to him was an equally old lady in a traditionalnine-yard cotton sari . She said something to him and then approachedme with a worn and clean towel in her hand . As I wiped my face andhead I noticed that the man was blind . It was obvious from theirsurroundings that they were very poor . The temple, where I nowstood, was simple with the minimum of ostentation in its decorations .The Deity was bare except for a bilwa leaf on top . The only lightcame from a single oil lamp . In that flickering light a sense ofcalm overcame me and I felt myself closer to God than ever before.

In halting Tamil, I asked the man to perform the evening mangalratri,which he did with love and dedication . When he finished, I placed ahundred-rupee note as the dakshina .He touched the note and pulled away his hand, looking uncomfortable .Politely he said, " Amma, I can make out that the note is not for tenrupees, the most we receive. Whoever you may be, in a temple, yourdevotion is important, not your money . Even our ancestors have saidthat a devotee should give as much as he or she can afford to. To meyou are a devotee like everyone else who comes here. Please take back this money ."

I was taken aback . I did not know how to react . I looked at theman's wife expecting her to argue with him and urge him to take themoney, but she just stood quietly. Often, in many households, a wifeencourages the man's greediness . Here, it was the opposite . She was endorsing her husband's views . So I sat down with them, and with the wind and rain whipping up a frenzy outside, we talked about our lives . I asked them about themselves, their life in the village temple and whether they had anyone to look after them.

Finally, I said, " Both of you are old . You don't have any childrento look after your everyday needs . In old age one requires moremedicines than groceries. This village is far away from any of thetowns in the district . Can I suggest something to you ?".

At that time, we have started an old-age pension scheme and Ithought, looking at their worn-out but clean clothes, they would beideal candidates for it .

This time the wife spoke up, " Please do tell, child ."

" I will send you some money. Keep it in a nationalized bank or postoffice. The interest on that can be used for your monthly needs. Ifthere is a medical emergency you can use the capital ."

The old man smiled on hearing my words and his face lit up brighterthan the lamp. " You sound much younger than us. You are still foolish . Why do I need money in this great old age ?. The Lord is also known as Vaidyanathan . He is the Mahavaidya, or great doctor . This village we live in has many kind people. I perform the pooja and they give me rice in return. If either of us is unwell, the local doctor gives us medicines. Our wants are very few. Why would I accept money from an unknown person?. If I keep this money in the bank, like you are telling me to, someone will come to know and may harass us . Why should I take on these worries?. You are a kind person to offer help to two unknown old people. But we are content; let us live as we always have. We don't need anything more."

Secret of Success - Accepting failure

Here's a simple secret of success. This secret is a well performing secret.By the grace of god, every one has the gift to identify the secret of success. If you look at the world around you, every one are successful. To me personally i feel, failure is something that is part of every one's life. Even the greatest successful businessman or politician or any one who is considered successful today, would have had their own spells where they had tasted failure. So i feel that if you are capable of taking up the failure successfully in positive spirits, analyse the reason for failure, you are just inching your journey towards success.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Secret of Success - Self belief

Today's secret of success tip is "Believe in yourself". The example for this can be learnt from sporting teams. Normally Australian Cricket team's secret of success, is about it's ability to believe in itself even in the adverse situations. When they believe themself, they emerge stronger. In the recently concluded tri-series when they were one down against srilanka, in the crucial second match they were 10-3, loosing some of the precious wickets. Yet they made a remarkable turn around and scored their highest ever one day score.

This believe in yourself secret is now visible in the Indian team too. Though they had lost the test series and one down in the five match series against pakistan, yet they turned around strongly and believed very much in their ability. At no point of time did they panic. There might be some dropped catches in the third match, yet they worked out on this weakness, when they entered the fourth match and it was very much visible when they took some of the brilliant catches on the field.Just believe in yourself and your ability, you would be successful.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Secret of Success - Stop comparison

Today's world primarily lives by comparison. I feel most of us in this world are doing this mistake. Though in some cases it may not even be wrong to compare, but just trying to be what the others are, is absolutely wrong. One should learn to identify their strength and live according to it. Most of us donot live by our strengths. We normally copy what others do. Especially in Indian scenario this is very much existant. Then we brood about failures with out finding out the real reason for failure."There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way."christopher morley

Secret of Success- Living in the present

Today's secret of success is a simple tip. i have observed this quality in many successful people. Its quite simple. Past is something that you cannot get back, while future is something which no one is sure of, hence it is present the greatest gift to man kind. i even advise my family members on this success tip. Past is something which you can only keep as an experience. it is a good book to refer to. While regarding future, you can plan but still you are not sure of the execution as external factors can always play into your plan. So work today as if there is no tommorrow. Plan for your day properly, set the goal for day, try to complete the goal of the day. If every day you are able to stick to the goal you have set, at the end of a week, month and year, you end up achieving the goal that you wanted to achieve after a year.

Secret of Success - Presentation

Today's secret of success is about presentation. By presentation i mean about how one presents himself or herself for a particular event or meet. Presenting oneself itself is a big art. You must know the occasion, present yourself accordingly and the seed is sown for your success. So dress sense plays a crucial role in today's competitive environment. Dress your way to success

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Secret of Success - Tribute to Sir Freddie Laker

Sir Freddie Laker, who started the first low-cost, no-reservation trans-Atlantic flights is a true pioneer of budget airlines. Later his company collapsed as rivals slashed prices.

In one of his interviews in 2004 Sir Freddie Laker had remarked that "I don't want to appear cocky, but I was the first low-cost operator. I was light-years before everyone else. ... I wanted to create an airline for poor people — for students and senior citizens — who might want to travel between London and the U.S."

He did it. That's the point to be noted. He was very popular with his passengers though unpopular with his competitors. He got his knighthood in 1978 for his services to british economy.

To know more about him...

Mr. Laker was born in Canterbury, England, the son of a cart driver who abandoned the family to poverty. He did not do well in school, but was earning his first profit at 14 by running the school's candy shop.

He left school at 16 and found a job in a plant that manufactured seaplanes, which by one account inspired him to study automotive and aeronautical engineering. He flew in the Air Transport Auxiliary in World War II. After the war, he began buying and selling surplus materials. He bought 12 converted bombers and began carrying vehicles, passengers and cargo including animals.

He made his first fortune in the Berlin blockade and airlift and later helped design and develop London's GatwickAirport. He helped found what became Britain's biggest independent airline, British United Airways.

In 1966, he founded Laker Airways and managed to end-run U.S. restrictions on charter flights by selling tickets to overseas travelers who joined mock "affinity groups." Authorities cracked down in 1971.

Long before People Express, Independence Air or other small carriers, sir Laker's Skytrain was targeting the cost-conscious, saving passengers about $200 on each one-way flight. At its peak in 1980, the airline hauled one of every five trans-Atlantic passengers. In five years of existence, 3 million passengers boarded sir Laker's fleet of 20 DC-10s. When his company's finances started to wobble, the public donated $1 million to keep it afloat.

The decline of the British pound against the U.S. dollar also was a factor in Skytrain's ruin. Mr. Laker had purchased five new jets with borrowed money, but the loans were in pounds and the purchases in dollars.

After Skytrain collapsed, Mr. Laker lived in the Bahamas and then Miami with his fourth wife, Jacqueline Laker, who survives him, as well as two children. He launched a twice-weekly air service in 1995 between the Bahamas and the East Coast called Laker Airways and Laker Vacations. Flights stopped in 2004.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Secret of Success - Do things you love

Today's Secret to success is a very simple one. Keep doing things that you love to do. Never do things that you don't like. Try doing things that you love in your life and you would find that you would always end up being successful. Its just because, when you do a thing that you are very keen about and what you love, you normally give more than 100% of yourself. You would not mind bearing all the obstacles you come across. You take all the problems in your stride. Finally you emerge a winner. so to have success do things you love, may it be your job, may it be your personal life or may it be any other thing in your life. Do things that you love. Its a very simple secret for successs and i am sure you are to emerge successful.